MEDIA RELEASE

Detectives from the Hawaii Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section plan to consult with an anthropologist from the Joint POW Accounting Command (JPAC) at Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu and a forensic odontologist for assistance in identifying human remains discovered in Puna on Thursday (June 16, 2006).

Responding to a 10:48 a.m. call from a neighbor, police entered a locked makeshift structure on 24th Avenue in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision and found the remains.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Section were called to the scene to investigate. The human remains were transported to Hilo Medical Center for examination by a forensic pathologist.

Due to the advanced state of decomposition, the pathologist was unable to determine the cause of death or the identity or the gender of the remains. She found no immediate evidence of foul play.